In the ever evolving nature of FantasyCPR, I would like to welcome another new golf article to the mix. We do a lot of DFS site specific coverage, so in an effort to bring in new golf fans, and look at Fantasy Golf as a whole, I am excited for the second edition of PGA Power Rankings for this weeks Honda Classic.
This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 20 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. Before we do that, let’s touch a bit on the history of the Honda Classic.
PGA Power Rankings: Honda Classic – Course and History
This week on the PGA Tour marks the first stop of the month-long Florida swing. We are back to a large field this week with a cut after two rounds as normal, and there are quite a few big names sitting this one out this week, so expect to see some new names in the top 20.
The Honda Classic has been played at the Champion Course at PGA National Golf Club since 2007. The Champion Course plays a lengthy 7125 yards at just a par-70, and is known as one of the toughest courses of the year. The last four winners here have scored between -6 and -12, so scoring will likely not be as low this week.
This course underwent some renovations in 2014, and was dubbed by the USA Today as possessing one of the toughest 3-hole stretches on tour known as “The Bear Trap.” The Bear Trap comprises of the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes of course designed by the Golden Bear himself Jack Nicklaus, and it’s tough design and demanding decisions are intended to decide who the winner will be.
Justin Thomas was able to hold off Luke List in a playoff last year, and he comes in as a semi-heavy favorite this week. The only other golfers in the top-ten of the OWGR in the field this week are Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler, so the general belief is that one of those three should come out on top, but some other non-huge names have won here before. so you just never know.
Rickie Fowler is also a past champion here at PGA National, with one of the best scores in a long time, finishing 12-under in 2017. Other past champions include Russell Henley, Adam Scott, and Pradraig Harrington.
Without further ado, please click the bar below to proceed to the rankings!
PGA Power Rankings: The Honda Classic
***The following golfers are my top 20 overall. Each golfer will be followed by their official golf world ranking (OGWR) in parenthesis.***
20. Matt Wallace – (38)
Wallace cracks my top-20 this week in this field by a nose, just edging out the likes of Daniel Berger and Ryan Palmer. The 28-year-old Englishman had three wins on the European Tour in 2018, and more recently had a solo second place finish at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in late January. This will be his first appearance at the Honda Classic, and he is coming off a T-33 last week at the WGC-Mexico.
19. Sungjae Im – (88)
I think a week off after playing nearly every week for months will do the young Korean sensation Sungjae Im some good. He was on a hot stretch from the Sony Open through the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but cooled of quick after that, missing cuts in the bad weather California events. His T-7 finish at the WMPO was his best finish since his T-4 at the Safeway Open back in October, which kicked off the 2019 FedEx Cup season.
18. Joaquin Niemann – (164)
Another player not in the greatest form, but another young up-and-comer looking to benefit from a week off. Niemann last teed it up at the Genesis Open, and managed to finish T-44, which was his best finish since his T-10 way back at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The 20-year-old Chilean product is still technically a rookie on tour, having turned pro in the middle of last season, but he could succeed here in a pretty limited field.
17. Billy Horschel – (39)
Finally we have some course history to look at, and for the most part, the theme of this article is that it will not be pretty. It is like almost anything can happen here at PGA National, as some really good golfers have had some mixed results here. Horschel missed the cut at +8 last year, but finished T-4 at -7 in 2017. He was solid in 2016 as well, as he T-8 at -2, but missed the cut back in 2015 at +6. Horschel’s best finish of 2019 thus far was a solo eighth place at the Farmers Insurance Open. I like the fact that he does have two top-ten’s here in the last five years, because that is simply hard to find this week.
16. Scott Piercy – (106)
You can go all the way back to 2009 when he T-5th to see that Piercy has played well here in the past, but with the renovations that took place in 2014 I am not putting much credence into history prior to that. From what I read, five holes underwent some serious changes, and this course has played as very difficult with the swirling winds and tough lay out since. Piercy T-17 here last year, and his recent form has been as solid as any. He has made nine straight cuts including back-to-back top-20’s, and two additional top-tens, back at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the CJ Cup.
PGA Power Rankings: The Honda Classic
15. Michael Thompson – (136)
A former champion here at PGA National and the Honda Classic back in 2013, the world’s 136 ranked golfer has quietly gotten off to a blazing start in 2019. The 33-year-old, veteran has notched four straight top-15’s, and is coming off of a T-7 finish at the Genesis Open two weeks ago. That stretch also includes a T-9 at the Desert Classic, and gives him two top-ten’s in the last four events. You will likely hear plenty about Thompson as the week progresses.
14. Lucas Glover – (108)
Since finishing second at the Web.com Tour Championship back in September, Glover has been playing some really consistent golf. He has made six of his last seven cuts, and all six have been top-20 finishes. Glover hasn’t been in action since the Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he T-7, which was fantastic to see coming off of the missed cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. His best finish here at the Honda Classic came in 2013, when he tied for fourth.
13. Zach Johnson – (76)
I am sure I will have Johnson ranked a little higher than most this week, but he is yet another golfer who has had some time off to try to right the ship. The former worlds 6th ranked golfer has fallen quite a bit since his glory days, but there was some signs of life the last couple times out. Johnson just missed a top-25 at the Desert Classic with a T-28 finish, and followed that with a T-38 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He did not tee it up here last year, but finished T-27 in 2017 at 2-under.
12. Byeong-Hun An – (54)
It was really looking like An was turning the corner after his missed cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the European Tour. He followed that with back-to-back top-20’s, one at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, also on the Euro Tour, and one at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He was a late add to the WGC-Mexico, and failed to really get anything going, as he finished T-45. An finished T-5 last year at the Honda Classic in his first attempt, and the fact that he had success here in his first go pushes him all the way up to 12 this week.
11. Luke List – (69)
One of this weeks course horses, List is yet to taste victory at the PGA Tour level, and last year losing in a playoff to Justin Thomas here at the Honda Classic is the closest he has come. List finished T-52nd in 2017, and was solid in 2016 finishing T-10th. He has been mostly hot and cold as of late, missing three cuts in his last seven events. On the hot side of that, List has notched two top-five’s and and a T-15 in that span as well. The T-15 was in his last action, which was at the Genesis Open. He was just short of qualifying for the WGC-Mexico last week, so he should come in rested and ready to go at a place he clearly likes to play.
PGA Power Rankings: The Honda Classic
10. Emiliano Grillo – (53)
Grillo hasn’t been playing lights out as of late, and his most recent success was the CIMB Classic back in October, where he tied for second. A consistent cut-maker, his best finish thus far in 2019 is a T-22 back at the Sony Open, and he is coming in off of a lackluster T-58 finish at the WGC-Mexico, but he has been good here at the PGA National. He T-8 last year, and T-43rd in 2017, and has consistently improved on his finish here each year.
9. Alexander Noren – (26)
With just six players in the field ranked ahead of Noren in the OWGR in this event, this could be a chance for him to notch a victory. Primarily a European Tour player, Noren had success here at the Honda Classic last year notching a solo third place finish at 7-under, so he will be back in the states to try it again. It has been a rough start to 2019, as he has missed a cut, and finished near the bottom of last week’s WGC-Mexico, but a player of this caliber should be able to bounce back at a place he played well at last year.
8. Sergio Garcia – (29)
Garcia has been one of the most consistent players on the European Tour since late last year, at one point notching seven straight top-10’s. He teed it up at the Genesis Open two weeks ago in his return to the US, and struggled in the weather to a T-37 finish. Other than his disqualification at the Saudi International a few weeks ago, that was Garcia’s worst finish since he missed the cut at the 100th PGA Championship last year. In past Honda Classic’s, Sergio T-14 in 2017, and T-33 last year. He almost pulled out a victory here in 2016 finishing a solo second place behind Adam Scott, and also finished a respectable T-31 back in 2015. I expect Garcia to fully be in the mix this weekend.
7. Cameron Smith – (24)
The 25-year-old Australian continues to creep up the OWGR board, after his T-6 finish at the WGC-Mexico last week. A two-time winner of the Australian PGA Championship, Smith is still searching for that first win on the PGA Tour, but he does have six top-five finishes in limited action, so it is safe to say this kid is knocking on the door. This will be his first appearance in the Honda Classic.
6. Webb Simpson – (21)
SImpson did not start well at the WGC-Mexico, and while he wasn’t terrible with the putter, he lost strokes tee-to-green. He finished T-39 getting better as the week went on, and that snapped a streak of six straight top-20’s going back to the BMW Championship. At last years Honda Classic, Simpson was fantastic with the putter, leading to a T-5 finish at 2-under par. He is the fourth highest ranked player in the OWGR in the field this week.
PGA Power Rankings: The Honda Classic
5. Brooks Koepka – (4)
It is almost remarkable that Koepka cannot even crack the top three this week considering his OWGR, but his history here isn’t great, and posting a T-57 at the Saudi International and a T-27 at last weeks WGC-Mexico have caused him to slip a bit. Koepka did not play this event last season, and he struggled to a +9 in 2017 and missed the cut. In 2015, Koepka T-51st at +6, and in 2016 he was slightly better here at the Honda Classic, finishing T-26 at +2. I have to think by the time the Florida Swing is over, Koepka will be back near the top, but his game is just a bit off as of late.
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4. Gary Woodland – (23)
Woodland continues to play fantastic golf in 2019, as a T-17 at the WGC-Mexico last week gave him four top-20’s in five starts. He notched back-to-back top-ten’s at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open just prior to last week. While last year was a tough one here at PGA National, Woodland struggled to a T-49 finish at +7, but he was much better here in 2017, when he T-2, finishing four strokes behind eventual champion Rickie Fowler. He has the rare combination of solid form and history this week, and it brings him all the way up to number four this week.
3. Adam Scott – (31)
Scott is quietly sort of hot with the putter as of late, and the 2016 Honda Classic champion comes into Florida off of a T-7 at the Genesis Open. He opted to skip the WGC-Mexico last week, and he comes into PGA National with probably the best results here over the last three years. I already mentioned he was victorious here in 2016, fending off Sergio Garcia by one stroke, but he followed that with a T-14 in 2017, and a T-13 in 2018. If he continues to putt well, he should be in the mix on Sunday.
2. Rickie Fowler – (9)
Fowler got a win a few weeks ago in Phoenix, but kind of struggled at times in Mexico, and ultimately ended up T-36. He now has five top-tens in his last nine events, and is another past champion here at the Honda Classic. The 2017 champion won in pretty dominating fashion that year with the four stroke victory, but he did not have the same success last year. In 2018, Fowler missed the cut, finishing at +7.
1. Justin Thomas – (3)
Well I was off a bit last week having Thomas and Jon Rahm ahead of Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, but hindsight is always 20/20, and I am little more confident in the top picks this week considering we do not have such a loaded field. JT won here last year, so there is that for starters, and although he struggled for the early part of the WGC-Mexico last week, he finished strong with a 62 on Sunday, and notched another top-ten with a solo ninth place finish. He is without a doubt the top dog this week, unlike last week, and he will likely be everyone’s pick to win this week, including mine.
Thanks for stopping by FantasyCPR and checking out our ever expanding PGA coverage. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon, along with some Fantasy Draft once again as well. Please give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the page, and feel free to ask any questions if you wish. Good luck with your Fantasy Golf this weekend!